


Unexpected

by AwkwardTiming



Series: One Step at a Time [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:23:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9339614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardTiming/pseuds/AwkwardTiming
Summary: Telling his parents didn't go the way Bitty expected. It wasn't bad... it just also wasn't good.This follows the first part, but it's not entirely necessary to read that.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if there will be more of this. I didn't really think there would be this second piece. But. *shrugs*

“And anyway, Dex has gotten really good at making crust. He’ll talk about helping his mom sometimes, but I dunno. I think maybe he’s letting himself enjoy it now,” Bitty took a breath, but Jack just waited. He know Bitty wasn’t done talking. Bitty liked that about Jack. He was demanding, but also patient. “And I think I’m going to tell my parents this weekend. Not about you, just, you know. That I like boys. That I’m gay.”

When Jack didn’t immediately respond, Bitty dragged his eyes back to the screen. Jack was frowning, but it was his concerned frown, not. He was just concerned.

Bitty swallowed heavily. “I just don’t want to keep lying about it with them. Mama was asking about when I was done with the semester so that she could get the plane ticket taken care of for Christmas. Half asked if I had a girlfriend. I just avoided the question. I don’t. I don’t want to have to talk about it at Christmas. I want it to be something they know when I get there.” Bitty kept the _if I get there. If they still want me after_ to himself. Jack still hadn’t said anything. “Jack?”

“We have back to back roadies Friday and Sunday. Vancouver then LA.”

Bitty’s head tilted in question, “Yeah?”

Jack made a frustrated noise. “I can’t be there with you.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to tell them we were dating. I thought, you know, it’d be better in case it doesn’t go well, if they didn’t know.”

“Bittle. Bitty. It’s not about that. I just – I’d like to be there for you, regardless of how it goes.”

“Oh, honey. I didn’t even think – I’ll be ok. You just focus on winning those games and we can talk about how it went when we talk on Sunday.”

“I could call you after your game on Saturday, while you're talking to them.”

“We’re playing Yale at home on Saturday, so I want to call them before that. I’m sure there’ll be a kegster and there’ll be a three hour time difference. Sunday is fine. We’ll talk then and…” Bitty trailed off. Jack was still frowning. “Jack, I love that you want to do this with me, but I kind of need to do it on my own. I can’t. I need to know I can do this on my own.”

Something in Jack’s face and posture softened. “Ok. But call me if you need anything. Or tell one of the boys.”

Bitty nodded, “I will, honey. Now. Tell me about what it was that Tater and Poots were trying to do at practice today. The Falconer’s twitter feed was too funny earlier.”

_X_

“Ok, well, Dicky. Good luck with your game later! Let me know when you’ll be ready to head down for Christmas, you hear. Love you, honey.”

“Bye, Mama. Bye, Coach. Love you, too.”

Bitty ended the call and frowned. Of all the many, many ways he’d thought that would go the actual response of his parents had been nothing like he had expected. He checked the time and nodded to himself, knocking on the door at the bottom of the stairs to the attic before heading up.

“Bitty bro!” Ransom said from his bunk. “’Sup?”

Bitty shook his head with a grin. “Hey y’all. Um, Holster?”

“Yeah?”

“So, I don’t want to talk about it – especially not, you know, before the game tonight, but were you serious about me maybe being able to come home with you over break?”

Holster sat up, swinging his feet to the floor, his face slowly beginning to look thunderous. “You told them?”

Bitty nodded. When it looked like Holster was going to ask, Bitty just shook his head slightly.

Holster deflated slightly. “Yeah, of course man. But will you tell me what happened, like, tomorrow or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Brunch?” Ransom asked from his bunk.

Bitty looked up. He’d forgotten Ransom was there. Ransom looked completely confused, but like he was maybe hoping they’d just go with it and include him in whatever it was they were talking about. Bitty felt something unclench. Holster had been right. They had his back, no matter what. Bitty nodded. “Yeah, brunch.”

Holster opened his mouth, then shut it again abruptly, his jaw clenching. He cleared his throat, “It’s nap time bro. Most sacred of all sacred pregame rituals.”

Bitty smiled and nodded. “See you in a couple hours.”

_X_

Bitty shoved everything aside so that he could sleep. He woke up thinking about it and decided that he could take all of it – the anger and the frustration anyway, if not the fear – and throw it into the game.

It showed. He was always one of the fastest on the ice, but the anger and frustration made him fierce. He had two goals. Combined with one from Nursey late in the third, that meant that Samwell beat Yale.

He threw himself into the celebration.

He decided that, despite everything in him wanting nothing so much as to get sloppy drunk and forget for the evening, to do his kegstands, but stick to beer and not get too drunk. Holster seemed content to hold up the wall with him.

Around midnight, Holster asked if he’d told Jack.

Bitty shook his head. “Not exactly. He knows I was telling them. Asked if he could call. I told him to call after his game tomorrow and to focus on winning.”

“Bits…”

Bitty fixed him with a look, “Don’t. I – I’m not really sure I know how I feel about this yet. I don’t want Jack worried about it yet and you shouldn’t worry either. Go party. I think I’m going to head up to bed.” Bitty handed Holster his cup and Holster, too surprised to react quickly, just took it and watched his friend head upstairs.

_X_

The sound of four fists banging on his door woke Bitty the next morning.

“What?” he said, groggy and slightly cross.

Ransom poked his head in. “Bro. Brunch.”

“Brosbrunch,” Holster said from the hallway and Bitty heard the distinct sound of a high five.

He half frowned at Ransom. “Time ‘sit?”

“Brunch time.”

“Ugh. Fine. Let me… you know, put on pants.”

Holster and Ransom goofed around like they usually did on the walk to Jerry’s. They joked while they ordered coffee and breakfast. They made wild assumptions about the other patrons until Bitty had finished his first cup of coffee and the food had been delivered.

Then Holster looked at Bitty and said, “So?”

“So… I told my parents. You know, that I’m uh, gay.”

“Dude! You totally said it that time.”

Bitty leveled an unimpressed look at Holster.

Ransom elbowed Holster, then said, “And?”

Bitty shook his head, “And,” he shrugged and looked at Holster. “Ok, so you know how we talked worse-case-scenarios?”

Holster nodded, looking concerned.

“It wasn’t like that. It just also wasn’t… good?” he huffed in frustration. “My Mama said, ‘Oh, Dicky,” like she always does. And Coach said, ‘I’m sure you’re just confused. We can talk about it when you’re home next month.’”

There was silence for a moment, “The… fuck,” Ransom said softly.

Less softly, “Well that’s bullshit,” was Holster’s response.

Bitty fiddled with the napkin in his lap. “So, yeah. That’s. I’m not really sure how I feel about their reaction, but I don’t really want to talk to them about it next month, you know? Like, I’m not worried about them disowning me now, but. So. Um. I want to talk to Jack first, but I feel like it’s a lot of pressure on him and he’ll still have games and stuff, so, if the offer’s still there. Maybe I could spend at least part of break with you?” Bitty looked over at Holster.

“Bro, of course.”

They were all quiet for a while as they ate. It was Ransom who spoke next, “You ok, though?”

Bitty looked up from his plate and nodded once. “Yeah, actually. I think I am.”

_X_

Jack called Bitty and Bitty could tell – because he’d watched the game and the interviews after – that Jack had rushed through his shower and was probably standing in the hallway waiting for the rest of his team to head to the bus.

“Hey, Bud.”

“Hi, Jack. Good game, honey.”

“Thanks, Bitty. It looked like you had a good game last night, too.”

“Yeah, I guess. We won. It was swawesome.”

“Kegster after?”

“Yeah. And Holster, Ransom, and I grabbed brunch this morning,” Bitty started to launch into a story about – well, he honestly wasn’t even sure what.

“Bittle,” Jack said. Then softened his voice, “Bits. The call with your parents?”

“Oh. It’s… I don’t think I’m going to go home at Christmas.” Jack made a noise of concern. “Not like that. Just, they think maybe I’m confused and I don’t really want to – it’s not something I want to try to explain when I’m basically trapped there, so. Holster said I could spend break with him. Or I could stay at the Haus.”

“You’ll come home to Providence.”

Bitty was quiet.

Jack cleared his throat. “I just mean –” he made a noise of frustration, “If you would like. I’d like it if you’d come stay with me. For as much of your break as you want. Will you – can you tell me what happened?”

“They sort of just didn’t believe me. It could have been so much worse, but it could have been better, you know?”

“They didn’t believe you,” Jack’s voice had taken on a hard edge.

“Yeah, I just. Um. I read once that denial runs deep for some people.” Bitty sighed, “I’m sorry, honey. I really don’t want to rehash this right now. Are you sure you want me to come stay? It’ll be more than two weeks with me in your space if I stay the whole time.”

“Crisse. Bittle. Yes. Bitty, yes, of course I want you to stay with me. For as long as you want. My parent will be in for the holiday itself. You don’t mind that I tell them we’re together before that, right?”

Bitty made a noise of surprise. “No?”

“I don’t have to. I can just say you were staying at Samwell and I invited you up.”

“You want to tell them.”

“Yes. I was thinking about it anyway.”

“And they know you’re…”

“Yes…after everything with… yes. They know.”

“Oh,” Bitty’s voice was soft. “You can tell them if you want, but if you don’t want to – just let me know, ok?”

“Ok.” Someone called Jack’s name. “I gotta go, Bud. We’re heading to the airport. Call you tomorrow?”

“Sounds good, honey. I’ll talk to you then.”

“And Bitty?”

“Yeah?”

“Got your back.”

“I love you, too, Jack.”

Bitty hung up, a small smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> if so inclined, please let me know what you think!
> 
> I can also be found on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/awkwardtiming where I post...whatever amuses me at any given moment.


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